By Fletcher Wilkinson 
Xbox players can start playing EA Sports FC 27 without purchasing the full game and this is all thanks to a new 10-hour free trial included with EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
The EA Sports FC 27 free trial launches on Friday September 18th, giving subscribers access to the complete game for up to 10 hours. Your progress should also carry across if you decide to purchase EA Sports FC 27 after completing the trial.
Here is when the trial begins and how you can download it on the Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One Consoles.
EA has confirmed that the 10-hour EA Play trial for EA Sports FC 27 will become available worldwide at 4am UTC on Friday, September 18th.
For Xbox players in the UK, this means the trial should become available at 5am BST.
Here are the confirmed launch times across different regions:
- UK and Ireland: 5am BST
- Pacific Time: 9pm PDT on Thursday, September 17
- Mountain Time: 10pm MDT on Thursday, September 17
- Central Time: 11pm CDT on Thursday, September 17
- Eastern Time: 12am EDT
- Central Europe: 6am CEST
- Eastern Europe: 7am EEST
- Japan: 1pm JST
- Western Australia: 12pm AWST
- Eastern Australia: 2pm AEST
These times apply specifically to the EA Play trial and the Ultimate Edition offering of the game. If have purchased the Ultimate Edition on console, you can begin playing from midnight in your local region, while the Standard Edition launches one week later.
Once the trial becomes available, you should be able to download it directly through the Xbox Store by following these steps:
- Open the Microsoft Store on your Xbox console.
- Search for EA Sports FC 27.
- Open the main EA Sports FC 27 product page.
- Select the option marked Free Trial with EA Play.
- Download the game and launch it once the installation is complete.
The trial option might not appear on the Xbox Store until the official 5am BST launch time. If you cannot see it immediately, refresh the store page or restart your console before checking again.
Make sure you are signed into the Xbox account connected to your active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or EA Play membership.
Players can also download EA Sports FC 27 before gaining access by using the Xbox mobile app.
After connecting the app to your console, search for EA Sports FC 27 and select the correct Xbox version of the game. You should then see an option to install the game remotely, even if you have not purchased it.
This allows you to complete the installation ahead of the trial’s launch and begin playing as soon as access becomes available.
Pre-installing the game does not automatically grant access. You will still need an active EA Play or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership to launch the 10-hour trial.
Although this is something that I heavily discourage, you can indeed take advantage of the New Zealand Method which many Xbox Users and Outlets are familiar with.
If you change your console region to New Zealand, it means you can start playing the trial or Ultimate Edition of the game right now. This almost circumvents the regional launch lock and you can delve into all aspects of the game straight away.
Again, I do not endorse this method and it does go against the Microsoft Terms of Service, so please consider that before doing this.